SUPER 8 (2011 - Cert 12A)

I've been on the receiving end of the Super 8 hype more than most people. In fact I think I've had double the dose for I was in New York earlier this year just before the film was released there at the beginning of June, then over the last couple of weeks I've been witness to Blighty's very own, and it has to be said slightly more subtle, version of the marketing Juggernaut. Whether here or on the other side of the pond the message has essentially been the same - 'This is the best Spielberg film that Spielberg didn't make'. Yes the great man was on production duties and may of course had some input into the creative process but this was very much the work of the new kid on the block, J J Abrams. As both writer and director, this, we are told, is the most personal project that he has yet undertaken and a result of the success he had enjoyed through Lost and the Star Trek reboot, he had now been given the opportunity to really make something that was important to him. The big draw for everyone though was how 'Spielbergian' it was all meant to be, a word that was coming up in every article, review to TV spot.



Now that I have seen it, it truly is Spielbergian. The small town setting is there, in this case Lillian, Ohio (Spielberg was brought up in Ohio), which is where we meet our standard issue Spielberg hero, 13 year old Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) and his friends (Kyle Chandler, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Masso and Zach Mills) shooting their very own zombie film, using a Super 8 camera (ahhhhh I hear you say - it's the same type of camera that both Spielberg and Abrams used to make their early films). It's taken back to 1979, to a time when small town America was real suburbia (See The Goonies, Close Encounters, ET and Poltergeist) and it also has the effect of giving everyone straggly haircuts and flares that are instantly related to old-Spielberg. As the plot progresses, with the kids 'on set' witnessing a massive train crash and 'something' escaping from the train wreck and terrorising the town, you know you really are in Spielberg country. Then by the time the army turns up and gets involved (a la ET and Close Encounters) you have moved away from referencing and nods and shifted into the world of the homage or the cinematic love letter. It went much further than that as well though. If you look at all of those early Spielberg films, not just those that he directed but others he hand a hand in writing, ET, Close Encounters, Jaws, The Goonies and Poltergeist, and even later ones such as Jurassic Park and Empire of the Sun, at the centre of it all is a family relationship, often that of a father figure and a son. Super 8 explores the same themes and does it superbly, opening with the death of Joe Lamb's mother and the strained relationship that is left between him and his father. Youthful love is also there through Elle Fanning's love interest Alice Dainard in a nicely crafted relationship that blossoms throughout. It gives the film a real heart.

Super 8 is clearly is meant to echo the films of Abrams' mentor and he succeeds in that aim, making something that feels instantly familiar, like bumping into a good mate who you haven't seen in while, you both just slip into the groove despite the time elapsed since your last shared bag of pork snacks. Just making a nerdy love letter to one of Cinema's greats doesn't just make a great summer blockbuster though, as we keep being told this is, it needs to entertain as well and be a film in it's own right.

And to be fair to Abrams he does manage this as well. It's brilliantly paced, it rips along with the right level of set-up before chucking us in and then keeping us interested with humour, intrigue, tear-inducing characterisation, action and peril. The train crash in particular is a real stand out set piece. It looks fantastic and is rare example of a modern action sequence taking the breath away, arguably as good as anything I've seen this year.  The initial 'something' scenes where the carnage starts to take shape have the jumpiness you would expect without being gory or remotely violent. The tension builds nicely as the town realises it is in danger and the usual army vs local police (Joe's father as the deputy sheriff) conflict plays out. What is most impressive though is how touching the film is. There are some hairline moments that you might miss with a blink that really do make the characters what they are. A sharp intake of breath here, a prolonged look there, less is definitely more, very much reminiscent of my favourite scene in Jaws where Brody's son mimics his movements. Abrams deserves credit for not over explaining things when it comes to characterisation, but the young cast in particular should also be praised as their performances create so much depth and go beyond kids running away from 'something'.

I just wish Abrams showed the same reluctance with spelling out character's feelings as he did with plot exposition. There is one horribly clumsy moment where an important element of the story is explained to us, practically like a teacher with a blackboard. It sticks out like a sore thumb among a film of otherwise high quality, unfortunately it's one of the distinct memories that I have taken from the viewing and has tainted it. This extends into a rather unsatisfying ten minutes as the film builds to the climax and we are introduced to the slightly underwhelming 'something' and a bit of an ET moment. It's a shame that there is this 15 minute spell where things don't work, because everything before is so good, and it recovers in time for a beautiful, touching and yes, very Spielbergian, final scene that is a very fitting way to sign off.

It ticked all of the boxes of a summer blockbuster, and then went beyond, I laughed (including an end credits sequence that you should stick around for), I cried (at least three times) and I jumped (the girlfriend jumped out of her skin throughout). It's just a real pity that there is a small part of the film that is so mis-judged and feels so out of place.

My only other reservation is that this is a film made by a film geek, and if there is a generation of cinema-goers that aren't as familiar as I am with what Abrams is trying to emulate, they may not have the same appreciation of that attempt and it's result as I do. It also only really looks back, unlike Attack the Block that felt familiar but at the same time fresh. I'm confident that this won't really be a problem though when it comes to putting bums on seats, and among a summer line up of reboots, robots, superheroes and sequels, I really hope it does well. It's a film that has it's heart firmly in the right place and Abrams sentiment can probably be best summed up by one of my favourite scenes in the film, with the young boys watching on in admiration at Elle Fanning's character, as she acts out a scene in their zombie movie. It's that moment of wonder that motivates Abrams to do what he does.